Born in the United Kingdom, Rob studied as a journalist and by his early 20's worked for daily newspapers and radio stations. In 1985, The Band Aid Relief Fund invited Rob to accompany Bob Geldof to Ethiopia.

In 1986, Rob moved to Australia, first as a journalist - as the only journalist chosen by Michael Jackson to accompany him on his tour "down under" - and later as a publicist and co-president of his own PR company, Crawford Goldstone Publicity. For six years, Sydney-based Rob represented almost every major international artist touring Australia; from Cyndi Lauper to Julio Iglesias, James Taylor, Tracy Chapman, BB King, Marianne Faithful and Poison! Among his corporate clients were Saatchi and Saatchi, The Hard Rock Cafe, Chess: The Musical, Richard Branson's Virgin Megastores, and HMV Music Stores.

After returning to England in 1991, HMV Group (part of EMI Records Group) hired Rob to head up its international marketing department. A year later Rob moved with HMV to the United States where he was appointed Head of International Marketing - a position he held until 1998. In this capacity, he oversaw the international marketing for the world's largest music retail corporation, from the U.S. and Canada, to the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Japan, and Australia. His work led to close working relationships with artists, managers, and record labels across the globe.